UK Government Briefed on Syria Transition Roadmap

Washington, DC – On December 10, 2013, Syrian Center for Political and Strategic Studies (SCPSS) Executive Director Dr. Radwan Ziadeh and Syrian Expert House member Mohamed Sabra met in Istanbul, Turkey with Jon Wilks, the United Kingdom’s Special Representative to the Syrian Opposition, and other officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to give a presentation on Syria Transition Roadmap, a document recently published by SCPSS and the Syrian Expert House detailing the Syrian opposition’s vision of the post-Assad democratic transition in Syria.

Dr. Ziadeh and Sabra outlined key aspects of the report, including constitutional reform, political and administrative reform, electoral reform, security sector reform, economic reform, and transitional justice and national reconciliation. During the Syrian Expert House members also presented plans for the implementation of the report’s recommendations, particularly with regard to rule of law, security sector reform, and transitional justice.

Additionally, Dr. Ziadeh, who was recently appointed head of the Transitional Justice Commission for Syria by the opposition Syrian Interim Government, outlined his plans for initiating a comprehensive transitional justice program across the liberated areas of Syria. Dr. Ziadeh also thanked the United Kingdom for its continued generous support of the Syrian people.

The UK representatives expressed their interest in Syria Transition Roadmap, acknowledging the plan’s relevance to the current Syrian interim government and any transitional authority established in a post-conflict Syria.

Syria Transition Roadmap is the result of a year-long consensus-building research process conducted by the Syrian Expert House, a group of approximately 300 Syrian human rights activists, academics, judges, lawyers, leaders of the political opposition, defected government officials, defected military officers, members of local revolutionary councils, and commanders of the armed opposition.